'Potted Potter' is an irreverent tribute

Everyone knows Harry Potter. The epic saga of the young wizard has spawned more than 4,000 pages in seven books and nearly 20 hours in a series of eight movies.

So how did Brits Daniel Clarkson and Jeff Turner manage to cram it all into their hit stage show "Potted Potter," a mere 70 minutes long?

It was a task that required taking some liberties with the story, Clarkson says.

"Sometimes you have to throw 500 pages out," he admits. "You have to admit some of it is filler."

The international show, subtitled "The Unauthorized Harry Experience," comes to Musikfest Cafe in Bethlehem Wednesday. The familiar characters — Harry, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Lord Voldemort and others — are melded into an irreverent two-man tour de force that includes an interactive game of Quidditch, the dragon from "Chamber of Secrets" and the magic duel between Harry and Voldemort.

Clarkson calls the show a "loving homage" to the sorcery series. He says you don't need to have read all the hefty Harry Potter books to enjoy the show.

"There are references fans will get, but overall it is a good introduction to the whole Potter world," Clarkson says. "In fact if you don't want to read the whole series, this is like a performance of footnotes."

The show follows the major plot arc. The full Quidditch match was originally included to keep younger kids from getting restless, but Clarkson says it has become "all about the dads who get involved."

"We have the entire audience playing against each other complete with a snitch and a quaffle," he says. "For some of the dads it's the Super Bowl all over."

The actors also bring out a fire-breathing dragon and the iconic magic contest, "although it's not exactly the way you read it in the book," Clarkson says.

He says about 20 percent of the show is improvised and there is lots of opportunity for interaction.

"We consider the audience our third cast member," he says. "We encourage heckling, cheering and any kind of joining in."

Clarkson says he was hooked early on by the Potter story, which debuted in 1997 with "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone." He would read the books to his younger brother doing funny voices, but after his sibling fell asleep, he continued reading.

He says he was doing a lot of comedy and storytelling performances when he was tapped in 2005 to entertain fans waiting in line at a bookstore at midnight to buy the just-released book "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince."

He came up with the idea of acting out a comedy satire of all five books. When he saw Turner busking in London, he was struck that "if I squinted, he looked like Daniel Radcliffe on a bad day."

They joined forces and developed a 20-minute skit for the bookstore with Turner as Harry and Clarkson as "all 350 other characters from Hermione to Voldemort."

"It was quite a workout," Clarkson says. "I played Hermione as kind of sultry and I played Ron as well, so I got to fall in love with myself. It's a dream for an actor to be able to play so many different roles."

The bookstore performance was a hit and the men added in the sixth book and took an hour-long version of the show to Edinburgh's Fringe Festival where it drew crowds.

After the release of the seventh and final book in 2007, Clarkson and Turner created the show that Bethlehem audiences will see.

The two men who have played the lead roles on and off for seven years, are taking a break before coming to the United States for an Off-Broadway run of the show May 30 to Sept. 1. Filling their shoes in Bethlehem are British actors Gary Trainor and Delme Thomas.

He says he and Turner personally interviewed their replacements.

"We audition the guys to play ourselves," he says. "Delme's a better me than me."

Clarkson says the show includes sly references to other fantasy universes such as Narnia and "Lord of The Rings." The actors include pop culture references as well as local references. They research tour stops in advance.

"We like to have it tied to what's going on and familiar to audiences," he says. "We keep it organic and go with it."

He says the show is very family-friendly and attracts an eclectic mix of people.

"We have a huge student following," he says. "At one show we had an 8-year-old birthday party and a bachelorette party. It doesn't hurt to have a bit of inner child."

He says American audiences have responded amazingly well to the show despite its "very British humor."

The show is inspired by the tradition of panto or pantomime, a type of family comedy show popular in the United Kingdom, which combines slapstick comedy, cross-dressing roles, audience participation and topical humor.

"You guys really get involved," Clarkson says. "There's nothing like the roar of an American crowd. It's been a lot of fun."

Last year "Potted Potter" was nominated for an Olivier Award, the British equivalent of a Tony Award, for best family show. It has toured Australia and South Africa and in 2012 kicked off its North American tour in Toronto.